The search is ongoing for a 16-year-old boy from Indiana who disappeared last week.

A Silver Alert remains in effect for Robert “RJ” Williams Jr., who was last seen on December 17 in Indianapolis. According to WRTV, his gym bag and backpack were found the following day on a dock near the White River by detectives.

Images of Williams with his face partly obscured have been released by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police. Over the weekend, police teamed up with the Indianapolis Fire Department and the Department of Natural Resources to conduct a comprehensive search using drones, ground teams, sonar, and water searches, but unfortunately, no trace of the teenager was found.

Williams was reported missing after not returning home from Purdue Polytechnic High School. Before he disappeared, he was thought to have visited a McDonald’s.

A family member shared with WRTV, “I’m praying that he is not found in the water and that he’s still out here somewhere; we just need to find him and bring him home.”

Williams is known to be autistic and has a mild intellectual disability. He is said to have the cognitive level of a 10- or 11-year-old, and has been diagnosed with psychosis and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.

Williams was described as standing 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighing 185 pounds, and having black hair with brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a gray coat, blue sweat pants, and black tennis shoes.

Anyone with information regarding Williams’ whereabouts should call the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department at 317-327-6541 or call 911.

[Feature Photo:  Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department]